The inventive concept relates generally to electronic data storage technologies. More particularly, certain embodiments of the inventive concept relate to nonvolatile memory devices and related data management methods.
Semiconductor memory devices can be roughly divided into two categories according to whether they retain stored data when disconnected from power. These categories include volatile memory devices, which lose stored data when disconnected from power, and nonvolatile memory device, which retain stored data when disconnected from power. Examples of volatile memory devices include DRAM and SRAM, and examples of nonvolatile memory devices include EEPROM, FRAM, PRAM, MRAM, and flash memory.
Among nonvolatile memories, flash memory has gained popularity in recent years due to attractive features such as relatively high performance and data storage capacity, efficient power consumption, and an ability to withstand mechanical shock. Flash memory can currently be found in a wide variety of electronic devices, ranging from cellular phones, PDAs, digital cameras, laptops, and many others.
Flash memory also suffers from certain drawbacks, such as potential failures due to limited program/erase endurance or various electrical malfunctions, for example. Consequently, nonvolatile memory devices also commonly use techniques such as bad block management, wear leveling, metadata mirroring, in an effort to minimize these various sources of failures. Unfortunately, many conventional techniques fail to adequately prevent certain types of errors that may be generated more readily in specific memory blocks or certain types of errors that arise after prolonged use of a data storage device.